Family commits to lemonade-stand charity for daughter

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Brooke Hausman was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare blood disorder similar to cancer of the blood, at 18 months old.

By BURTON SPEAKMAN

A Shenandoah family is sponsoring a lemonade stand to provide funding for research after their daughter survived a rare blood disorder.

Brooke Hausman was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare blood disorder similar to cancer of the blood, at 18 months old.

Tobias Hausman, her father, said that after his daughter recovered following a bone marrow transplant, the family wanted to help Dr. Kenneth McClain, who treated Brooke at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, with his continuing research. Brooke's sister Tatum, 5, donated the bone marrow in December 2003.

The family helped organize an Alex's Lemonade Stand to raise money for McClain's research. The stand will be open Saturday at Sam's Club in Shenandoah at 19091 Interstate South from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"After she got out of the danger area last summer we turned our focus to trying to help Dr. McClain," Tobias Hausman said.

The development office at the hospital told the family about Alex's Lemonade Stand foundation, he said, because they had just received a grant from the foundation.

"They were looking for a family to get a stand started and we volunteered to do that," Tobias Hausman said. "So this will be one of the first stands in the Houston area."

Both Brooke and Tatum Hausman will be working at the stand, he said. "It should be kind of a neat day. We'll raise funds and hopefully it will become and annual event."

"I wanted to work because I think it helps sick kids like my sister and we can help them get better," Tatum Hausman said.

Alex's Lemonade Stand charity began in 2000 when 4-year-old Alex Scott made a stand to raise money for Connecticut Children's Medical Center where she was being treated for neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer.

Since 2000 the foundation created following her initial effort has raised more than $1.6 million for children's cancer research.

"We really are doing this for two reasons. One is to raise money for Dr. McClain's continued research and the other is awareness of pediatric cancer," he said.

"People aren't overly aware of pediatric cancer, but it's one of the largest killers of children," Tobias Hausman said.